PeopleThe November Sessions: Going Big 

We had some pretty solid swell last week. A few days of small surf at the start of the week meant that everyone had a chance to get their wave count up and practice some of the more technical stuff. Small wave are great because you don’t need to be too precious with them. You can try new things, fall off a lot and really improve. Bigger waves often mean just holding on in there. On the flip side, when the waves do get a bit bigger it’s a lot of fun…

Above: Super grommet Shane assesses the conditions with Alex, one of the new Surf Simply coaches who joined us this season from the Maldives.

Once Shane was out the back he made it all look very easy. Unbelievably this was his first week of surfing.

Martin, another new Surf Simply coach, scratches over a set with an intrepid Kevin and Joe.

Kjeld (above and below), didn’t hold back all week and, along his brother Arvid, proved that the more you wipeout the more good waves you’re gonna catch too. Kjeld has now decided to stick around in Costa Rica to fit work around surfing rather than the other way around. An entirely noble philosophy we think.

Here’s Arvid, the other half of the awesome Dutch duo, sitting back into a beautiful forehand turn. Arvid’s wipeouts were equally awesome. He wouldn’t so much fall as launch himself from the board! Check out a classic Arvid wipeout here…

Lucy finds a new way to achieve enlightenment while surfing: a bit of whitewater meditation.

Pooja was something of a conundrum. Beautiful, dainty and feminine out of the water. She would wobble down to the beach on one of the kids bicycles and then proceed to charge into the heaviest waves of the day. Truly amazing stuff.

It always a lot of fun teaching a group of people who are so enthusiastic, gun ho and smiling from ear to ear whether they are wiping out, charging down the line or wolfing down Gem’s well earned lunches. So a big thank you to Kjeld, Arvid, Lucy, Mike, Shane, Evelyn, Joe, Andrew, Alison, Kevin, other Andrew and of course Pooja for making it such a fun week.